http://leondupreez.com Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:04:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Revival Removes The Demonic http://leondupreez.com/?p=307 http://leondupreez.com/?p=307#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:04:37 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=307

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Revival starts with a consecrated person! A person who at the loneliness of his bedroom cries out to God, begging Him to use him, and surrendering his whole life to Him. It starts with a person who screams “Set me on fire Lord!”

When I read this verse in Acts mentioned above, I cannot help thinking about a shower. Think of it… It doesn’t matter how rich you are, how important you are, how much of status you have, every single one of us needs to clean ourselves everyday! Just so it is with the presence of the Lord. Spiritually everyday we need to get into His presence for a time of cleansing and refreshing!

There are also a few steps into taking a shower:

1.) I need to turn it on!

2.) I need to take off my clothes and get into it naked!

3.) I need to take the soap and wash myself!

As simple as what these steps may sound, they still carry much weight as an illustration.

What does it mean, it means that everyday we need to get into His presence, remove all our weights, sin, bondages and yokes and lay it before Him and become transparent in His presence. Once we do this then we will be wiped clean and walk out of that place refreshed.

Revival starts with one person! God always takes one individual and sets him alight! Will you be that individual?

In His Love,

Leon du Preez

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=307 0 Isn’t It Time for You To Tell Your Flesh To Shut Up? http://leondupreez.com/?p=299 http://leondupreez.com/?p=299#comments Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:00:40 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=299 Isn’t It Time for You To Tell
Your Flesh To Shut Up?
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Romans 6:11
Left unchecked, your flesh will try to run you over, take charge of your emotions, and promote laziness in your life. It will tell you that you’ve done too much; that you’ve already done more than anyone else; that you don’t need to do any more than you’ve already done; and that you’re not as appreciated as you ought to be. Your flesh will advise you to kick back, take it easy, and cut yourself some slack. It will scream that if anyone deserves to do nothing for a while, it’s you.
Your flesh always tries to take everything to an extreme. If you allow it to control you, it will carry you into a state of laziness that sedates your whole outlook and destroys your productivity. You’ll lose your joy, hope, victory – even your very reason for living. In the end, you’ll become weak, powerless, and devoid of the desire or energy to pursue anything, let alone the high calling God has for your life.
When your flesh rises up and tempts you to be slothful about your dream, your business, or your relationship with God, what should you do? Or when your flesh coaxes you into believing you are too poor, too stupid, too ugly, too uninteresting, or too “run of the mill” to be used by God, how should you respond?
Should you cry and complain that you’re just not as talented as others? Should you grieve that you’re not as skinny as someone else? Should you whimper that you weren’t born into a more prestigious family? Should you lament that you were never able to finish your education? Will your complaining put a degree on your wall?
It’s time to tell the flesh to shut its loud mouth! Then grab hold of the power of God to change you and the way you are thinking. As long as you allow that rank, stinking flesh to produce a “poor me” mentality, you will not make any significant contribution to the world. And that’s such a pity because God wants to use you! Instead of letting the flesh rule you, it is time for you to do as the apostle Paul ordered in Romans 6:11 when he said, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The word “reckon” comes from the Greek word logidzomai, which means to consider, to think, to deem, to regard, or to count something as done. This means the verse could be translated, “Once and for all, deem yourselves to be dead to sin.” But it is important to note that the Greek tense means this reckoning must be done on a continual basis. With this in mind, it could be translated, “Once and for all, deem yourself dead to sin. After that, keep it up! Keep counting yourself as one who has died to sin.”
The word “dead” comes from the word nekros, which is the Greek word for a human corpse. It is the picture of an actual dead person, whose lifeless body has no heartbeat and no breath in his lungs. This person is declared clinically dead; he is now a corpse. By using the word nekros, Paul tells us that we are to deem ourselves as dead – non-responsive to sin. We are to be just as non-responsive to sin as a dead person is to life! Dead people don’t respond to anything because they are dead!
These powerful words in Romans 6:11
could be interpreted this way:
“Once and for all, deem yourself dead to sin. After that, keep it up! You have to keep counting yourself as one
who has died to sin.”
When I served as an assistant pastor in the Southern Baptist church, the senior pastor wanted to teach me how to conduct funerals, so he took me to funeral after funeral. He wanted me to learn how to conduct myself in delicate and difficult situations. One funeral I attended was an unforgettable experience. Even now I can vividly see it as I write about it. It was a funeral conducted for an unsaved family whose son had tragically died in an accident. The sorrow and remorse in that room was so thick, it could almost be cut with a knife.
Nothing is sadder than a funeral with a family of unbelievers. They have no faith and no hope. When they lose a loved one, it is truly a catastrophe because their lack of hope overwhelms them. But even worse than attending such a funeral is to be called upon to conduct one!
I watched as the mother approached the casket to tell her son good-bye one last time. She was so overwhelmed with grief that she crawled into the casket! She clutched and held tightly to her son’s dead body, pleading, “Talk to me! Talk to me! Don’t leave me like this!” Funeral-home workers had to pull the mother out of the coffin and escort her to the limousine that awaited to take her and the rest of the family to the cemetery for the burial.
That early experience is etched forever in my memory. I’ve never forgotten that pitiful sight as the mother gripped that dead body in her arms and begged it to speak to her one last time. But that body was not going to talk to her. It was dead.
The empty shell that lay in that casket was the deceased, expired, finished shadow of a young man who had once lived but was now gone. There was no heartbeat, no breath in his lungs, no pulse to feel in his wrists. The clock had quit running for that man’s life, and there was no turning back the clock to make it start ticking again. It was a “done deal.” This man’s life had expired. His body was mortified.
Well, your flesh needs to be mortified in the same way. As Paul says in Romans 6:11, it is time for you to reckon, deem, consider, regard, and count as a done fact that you are dead to sin and to its lying insinuations! To continually count yourself dead to sin, you may have to speak to yourself often and take authority over your flesh. Command your flesh to shut its mouth, and remind yourself that the flesh lost its power at the Cross and no longer has the right to rule and reign in your life!
You don’t have to allow the flesh to lord itself over you any longer. You don’t have to let your flesh and emotions give you the run-around. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, it’s time to start thinking about what you can do when you become yielded to the Spirit of God.
That’s why Paul went on to say that you must now start looking at yourself as one who is “alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” You see, sin is no longer your master; now you are the servant of Jesus Christ! When your body, mind, and emotions are submitted to Him, you cease to be a slave to your body and emotions. Instead, your body and emotions become your servant – instruments of righteousness to help you achieve the dreams God has put in your heart.
The only way you and I will ever accomplish what we were born to do is to put aside the lies of the enemy; tell our lazy, complaining flesh to keep its mouth shut; take charge of our emotions; and yield ourselves as instruments unto God. Then as we start speaking the truth of God’s Word, drawing upon His power that works in us and through us to do His will, we’ll start seeing supernatural results and achievements!
God has something awesome for you to do. Absolutely nothing can keep you from doing what He has put in your heart – not your education, status in society, political affiliation, or physical appearance. None of these factors will have any impact on God’s call on your life.
The one factor that does impact God’s ability to use you is your own obedience to Him. Your heart must be willing. You must take authority over the flesh that would take you down a lazy path. And you must yield your body to God’s Spirit as an instrument of righteousness. That’s when you’ll find yourself on the path that leads to being used by God!

Romans 6:11 – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ”

Left unchecked, your flesh will try to run you over, take charge of your emotions, and promote laziness in your life. It will tell you that you’ve done too much; that you’ve already done more than anyone else; that you don’t need to do any more than you’ve already done; and that you’re not as appreciated as you ought to be. Your flesh will advise you to kick back, take it easy, and cut yourself some slack. It will scream that if anyone deserves to do nothing for a while, it’s you.

Your flesh always tries to take everything to an extreme. If you allow it to control you, it will carry you into a state of laziness that sedates your whole outlook and destroys your productivity. You’ll lose your joy, hope, victory – even your very reason for living. In the end, you’ll become weak, powerless, and devoid of the desire or energy to pursue anything, let alone the high calling God has for your life.

When your flesh rises up and tempts you to be slothful about your dream, your business, or your relationship with God, what should you do? Or when your flesh coaxes you into believing you are too poor, too stupid, too ugly, too uninteresting, or too “run of the mill” to be used by God, how should you respond?

Should you cry and complain that you’re just not as talented as others? Should you grieve that you’re not as skinny as someone else? Should you whimper that you weren’t born into a more prestigious family? Should you lament that you were never able to finish your education? Will your complaining put a degree on your wall?

It’s time to tell the flesh to shut its loud mouth! Then grab hold of the power of God to change you and the way you are thinking. As long as you allow that rank, stinking flesh to produce a “poor me” mentality, you will not make any significant contribution to the world. And that’s such a pity because God wants to use you! Instead of letting the flesh rule you, it is time for you to do as the apostle Paul ordered in Romans 6:11 when he said, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The word “reckon” comes from the Greek word logidzomai, which means to consider, to think, to deem, to regard, or to count something as done. This means the verse could be translated, “Once and for all, deem yourselves to be dead to sin.” But it is important to note that the Greek tense means this reckoning must be done on a continual basis. With this in mind, it could be translated, “Once and for all, deem yourself dead to sin. After that, keep it up! Keep counting yourself as one who has died to sin.”

The word “dead” comes from the word nekros, which is the Greek word for a human corpse. It is the picture of an actual dead person, whose lifeless body has no heartbeat and no breath in his lungs. This person is declared clinically dead; he is now a corpse. By using the word nekros, Paul tells us that we are to deem ourselves as dead – non-responsive to sin. We are to be just as non-responsive to sin as a dead person is to life! Dead people don’t respond to anything because they are dead!

These powerful words in Romans 6:11 -

could be interpreted this way:

“Once and for all, deem yourself dead to sin. After that, keep it up! You have to keep counting yourself as one

who has died to sin.”

When I served as an assistant pastor in the Southern Baptist church, the senior pastor wanted to teach me how to conduct funerals, so he took me to funeral after funeral. He wanted me to learn how to conduct myself in delicate and difficult situations. One funeral I attended was an unforgettable experience. Even now I can vividly see it as I write about it. It was a funeral conducted for an unsaved family whose son had tragically died in an accident. The sorrow and remorse in that room was so thick, it could almost be cut with a knife.

Nothing is sadder than a funeral with a family of unbelievers. They have no faith and no hope. When they lose a loved one, it is truly a catastrophe because their lack of hope overwhelms them. But even worse than attending such a funeral is to be called upon to conduct one!

I watched as the mother approached the casket to tell her son good-bye one last time. She was so overwhelmed with grief that she crawled into the casket! She clutched and held tightly to her son’s dead body, pleading, “Talk to me! Talk to me! Don’t leave me like this!” Funeral-home workers had to pull the mother out of the coffin and escort her to the limousine that awaited to take her and the rest of the family to the cemetery for the burial.

That early experience is etched forever in my memory. I’ve never forgotten that pitiful sight as the mother gripped that dead body in her arms and begged it to speak to her one last time. But that body was not going to talk to her. It was dead.

The empty shell that lay in that casket was the deceased, expired, finished shadow of a young man who had once lived but was now gone. There was no heartbeat, no breath in his lungs, no pulse to feel in his wrists. The clock had quit running for that man’s life, and there was no turning back the clock to make it start ticking again. It was a “done deal.” This man’s life had expired. His body was mortified.

Well, your flesh needs to be mortified in the same way. As Paul says in Romans 6:11, it is time for you to reckon, deem, consider, regard, and count as a done fact that you are dead to sin and to its lying insinuations! To continually count yourself dead to sin, you may have to speak to yourself often and take authority over your flesh. Command your flesh to shut its mouth, and remind yourself that the flesh lost its power at the Cross and no longer has the right to rule and reign in your life!

You don’t have to allow the flesh to lord itself over you any longer. You don’t have to let your flesh and emotions give you the run-around. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, it’s time to start thinking about what you can do when you become yielded to the Spirit of God.

That’s why Paul went on to say that you must now start looking at yourself as one who is “alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” You see, sin is no longer your master; now you are the servant of Jesus Christ! When your body, mind, and emotions are submitted to Him, you cease to be a slave to your body and emotions. Instead, your body and emotions become your servant – instruments of righteousness to help you achieve the dreams God has put in your heart.

The only way you and I will ever accomplish what we were born to do is to put aside the lies of the enemy; tell our lazy, complaining flesh to keep its mouth shut; take charge of our emotions; and yield ourselves as instruments unto God. Then as we start speaking the truth of God’s Word, drawing upon His power that works in us and through us to do His will, we’ll start seeing supernatural results and achievements!

God has something awesome for you to do. Absolutely nothing can keep you from doing what He has put in your heart – not your education, status in society, political affiliation, or physical appearance. None of these factors will have any impact on God’s call on your life.

The one factor that does impact God’s ability to use you is your own obedience to Him. Your heart must be willing. You must take authority over the flesh that would take you down a lazy path. And you must yield your body to God’s Spirit as an instrument of righteousness. That’s when you’ll find yourself on the path that leads to being used by God!

Please take note that I got this resource from Rick Renner’s Sparkling Gem. You can find all his resources at www.renner.org

In His Love,
Leon du Prez

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=299 0 Into The Darkness http://leondupreez.com/?p=280 http://leondupreez.com/?p=280#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:04:21 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=280 Into The Darkness
Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places”
There are treasures which God has available for every single one of us. The only problem is these treasures are locked up in a dark place.
2 Cor 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us”
Jer 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”
Darkness is a place of unformed purpose and destiny. In order for you to tap into the hidden treasures buried inside of you, you have to go deep within yourself!
You will have to get honest and real with yourself, very few do, many hide from their true selves.
You see, the scripture says that:
1.) There are treasures in the darkness
2.) There is a treasure inside of you
3.) The heart is deceitful, sick and wicked. (Dark)
Many a times we as christians avoid the hard times in life and the difficult times, the dark times.
If I can give you a picture:
Many people are afraid of darkness, I speak naturally now. People do not want to walk in the darkness. They might have heard rumors that there are dreadful things lurking in darkness. People get attacked in darkness. People stagger when they walk in darkness, people are afraid that they might get hurt. People are nervous, they don’t want to touch the wrong thing, in fact, they do not want the wrong thing to touch them.
Being in darkness is the ultimate test of your faith. Because in the darkness, you can’t see anything, but you are still expected to trust God!
Regardless of all the logical arguments to avoid the darkness, I  want to explain to you why it is so important for us to embrace and persevere through our time of struggle.
I will share 2 common treasures with you which I have found in scripture which which we will find in our moments of struggle and darkness!
1.) Establishing Identity
Pressing through the struggle and darkness and prevailing, will cause you to become who you suppose to be. Persevering through your moment of darkness and prevailing will bring you to a place where your identity is established!
Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, am the God of Isreal.”
God is saying, listen, as you press through your time of struggle and time of darkness, I will cause you to know that I called you, and I called you by name!
Genesis 32:22-31 22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”  27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.
Before Jacob’s name was changed, before he found his identity he had to come to a place of being real and seeing exactly who he truly is. He had to look deep inside of himself, into the darkest of the dark places inside of him – he had to look at his heart
Jer 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”
Only when he saw what a mess he was. Only when he realized and discovered the feelings of hate, greed, jealousy etc. Only when he went through this moment of struggle and prevailed then he found his treasure. What was his treasure? It was his name which was changed from Jacob to Israel.
Listen, it is in darkness and moments of struggle that you truly find out who you are. This is where you come face to face with yourself. It is in this place where you might discover feelings of hate, greed, jealousy and vengeance, maybe you struggle to trust others! It is in the darkness that you face these harsh realities.
You see, you and I have to deal with our dark sides first (flesh) & (heart), which will come out in moments of struggle and darkness. As we deal with this then we can discover the treasures He has for us! Then we can discover our identity!
Only if you prevail through your time of struggle then you will discover who you really are!
When you receive a prophetic word please realize that it will not come to pass without a fight! Most of the times that word is given for you so that you can fight the darkness which is about to strike your life!
When you keep your eyes on the promise and keep your focus right and fight with the prophetic word then you will prevail and you will see His promises for you come to pass!
2.) Hear His voice & fulfill Destiny
Pressing through the struggle and darkness will cause you to hear His voice & fulfill destiny!
The life of Peter:
I want to speak about a moment in life, two words, which changed the whole course of Peter’s life.
Mark 16:7 “But go tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
Since John was the one whom the Lord loved, why does the Bible not say “and John”?
Since Thomas was doubtful about the Lord’s resurrection, why does it not say “and Thomas”?
The angel did not mention the best disciples or the most needy disciples. He specifically mentioned Peter. Why? What made Peter different from the others?
Let’s see what kind of person Peter was?
Peter was someone who was radically called by Jesus Christ! He was someone who was daring, bold and willing. Yet, Peter also had some tremendous weaknesses in his life…
We see in Matt 16:22 that Peter rebuked Jesus Christ the Son of God Himself that Jesus even had to turn around and silence the devil inside of him!
Peter went into religion and wanted to camp on the mountain of transfiguration in Matt 17:4
Peter had weaknesses of arrogance, pride, etc etc etc…
Peter made statements like he would never betray the Lord, he even said that he will rather die than ever deny the Lord…
Matt 26:33 “Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble”
Matt 26:35 “Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
In the Garden of Getsemanne he even tried to kill a man.
Until three days before the resurrection, Peter committed a great sin, a sin that would even cause the Lord not to confess him before the Father’s angels. Peter not only denied the Lord before men, he even denied the Lord before a maid who was despised by others at that time.
I can just imagine what Peter was saying to himself:
“Oh! I have fallen. The sin which I have committed is not a common sin. I am afraid that I cannot draw close to the Lord anymore. The Lord might have already forsaken me. I am afraid that from now on, whenever the Lord has any important thing to do, He will not take me along. I will not be able to have special experiences like I had when I was with Him on the mount of transfiguration. I will not be able to accompany Him like I did in the garden of Gethsemane. I told the Lord that I would die for Him, and the Lord said that before the cock crowed twice, I would deny Him three times. I thought that the Lord misunderstood me. When He was taken, I even cut off a man’s ear with a sword, thinking that I could love Him courageously. Yet I fell. I did not fall before the high priest or before the powerful Pilate, but before the questioning of a maid. I denied the Lord once, twice, and finally I even swore in my denial of the Lord. At one time I confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God.
I committed the great sin of denying Him. Although I cried with regret, I do not know how the Lord is going to treat me. It would have been better if He had not known that I denied Him. But when I denied Him, He turned His back and looked at me. He knew what I had done. What should I do? I dare not come close to Him anymore. Although He loves me, I dare not approach Him because there is a sin which separates me from Him. Perhaps from now on, I cannot be close to Him.”
While these thoughts was going through Peter’s head suddenly those several woman came to him with 2 words which shook out his whole existence. These 2 words brought Peter back from a place of darkness! These 2 words gave him the courage and encouraged him to go and see the Lord!
What were these 2 words:
Mark 16:7 “But go tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
Just imagine this, in the darkest hour of Peter’s life, God still reached out to him! In the darkest hour of his life Jesus Christ individually pointed him out!
I want to tell you a secret! If you are in this place where Peter was. If you are stuck in this same situation, do not be downcast!
* He is about to call your name!!!
HE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!!!
Those 2 words had the power to deliver Peter from his darkest hour and cause him to excel and propel into his destiny!
Those 2 words pulled him from the pit of miry clay, those 2 words broke the power of discouragement over his life!
Those 2 words can do exactly the same for you today! Those 2 words were not just meant for Peter, but it was meant for every single one of us, especially those who are currently in a place far from the Lord, thinking they might have fallen too far!
Peter had to come to a place where he was face to face with himself! He had to realize that underneath all those masks of bravery, boldness and arrogance was someone who would cowardly betray the Lord! Only when he saw the darkness of his own heart and his true identity like Jacob could he realize that he needs help!
If the angel remember Peter’s name, right now He is remember your name! God is remembering your name and right now He is calling you by your name!
You might be in your darkest hour right now, but I want to tell you that you have a treasure to find there! You have the ability to embrace this time of struggle and prevail and discover His treasure for you!
Even JESUS had to prevail and go through his darkest hour in order to fulfill His Destiny!

Into The Darkness

Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places”

There are treasures which God has available for every single one of us. The only problem is these treasures are locked up in a dark place.

2 Cor 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us”

Jer 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”

Darkness is a place of unformed purpose and destiny. In order for you to tap into the hidden treasures buried inside of you, you have to go deep within yourself!

You will have to get honest and real with yourself, very few do, many hide from their true selves.

You see, the scripture says that:

1.) There are treasures in the darkness

2.) There is a treasure inside of you

3.) The heart is deceitful, sick and wicked. (Dark)

Many a times we as christians avoid the hard times in life and the difficult times, the dark times.

If I can give you a picture:

Many people are afraid of darkness, I speak naturally now. People do not want to walk in the darkness. They might have heard rumors that there are dreadful things lurking in darkness. People get attacked in darkness. People stagger when they walk in darkness, people are afraid that they might get hurt. People are nervous, they don’t want to touch the wrong thing, in fact, they do not want the wrong thing to touch them.

Being in darkness is the ultimate test of your faith. Because in the darkness, you can’t see anything, but you are still expected to trust God!

Regardless of all the logical arguments to avoid the darkness, I  want to explain to you why it is so important for us to embrace and persevere through our time of struggle.

I will share 2 common treasures with you which I have found in scripture which which we will find in our moments of struggle and darkness!

1.) Establishing Identity

Pressing through the struggle and darkness and prevailing, will cause you to become who you suppose to be. Persevering through your moment of darkness and prevailing will bring you to a place where your identity is established!

Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, am the God of Isreal.”

God is saying, listen, as you press through your time of struggle and time of darkness, I will cause you to know that I called you, and I called you by name!

Genesis 32:22-31 22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.

26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”  27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.

Before Jacob’s name was changed, before he found his identity he had to come to a place of being real and seeing exactly who he truly is. He had to look deep inside of himself, into the darkest of the dark places inside of him – he had to look at his heart

Jer 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”

Only when he saw what a mess he was. Only when he realized and discovered the feelings of hate, greed, jealousy etc. Only when he went through this moment of struggle and prevailed then he found his treasure. What was his treasure? It was his name which was changed from Jacob to Israel.

Listen, it is in darkness and moments of struggle that you truly find out who you are. This is where you come face to face with yourself. It is in this place where you might discover feelings of hate, greed, jealousy and vengeance, maybe you struggle to trust others! It is in the darkness that you face these harsh realities.

You see, you and I have to deal with our dark sides first (flesh) & (heart), which will come out in moments of struggle and darkness. As we deal with this then we can discover the treasures He has for us! Then we can discover our identity!

Only if you prevail through your time of struggle then you will discover who you really are!

When you receive a prophetic word please realize that it will not come to pass without a fight! Most of the times that word is given for you so that you can fight the darkness which is about to strike your life!

When you keep your eyes on the promise and keep your focus right and fight with the prophetic word then you will prevail and you will see His promises for you come to pass!

2.) Hear His voice & fulfill Destiny

Pressing through the struggle and darkness will cause you to hear His voice & fulfill destiny!

The life of Peter:

I want to speak about a moment in life, two words, which changed the whole course of Peter’s life.

Mark 16:7 “But go tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

Since John was the one whom the Lord loved, why does the Bible not say “and John”?

Since Thomas was doubtful about the Lord’s resurrection, why does it not say “and Thomas”?

The angel did not mention the best disciples or the most needy disciples. He specifically mentioned Peter. Why? What made Peter different from the others?

Let’s see what kind of person Peter was?

Peter was someone who was radically called by Jesus Christ! He was someone who was daring, bold and willing. Yet, Peter also had some tremendous weaknesses in his life…

We see in Matt 16:22 that Peter rebuked Jesus Christ the Son of God Himself that Jesus even had to turn around and silence the devil inside of him!

Peter went into religion and wanted to camp on the mountain of transfiguration in Matt 17:4

Peter had weaknesses of arrogance, pride, etc etc etc…

Peter made statements like he would never betray the Lord, he even said that he will rather die than ever deny the Lord…

Matt 26:33 “Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble”

Matt 26:35 “Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

In the Garden of Getsemanne he even tried to kill a man.

Until three days before the resurrection, Peter committed a great sin, a sin that would even cause the Lord not to confess him before the Father’s angels. Peter not only denied the Lord before men, he even denied the Lord before a maid who was despised by others at that time.

I can just imagine what Peter was saying to himself:

“Oh! I have fallen. The sin which I have committed is not a common sin. I am afraid that I cannot draw close to the Lord anymore. The Lord might have already forsaken me. I am afraid that from now on, whenever the Lord has any important thing to do, He will not take me along. I will not be able to have special experiences like I had when I was with Him on the mount of transfiguration. I will not be able to accompany Him like I did in the garden of Gethsemane. I told the Lord that I would die for Him, and the Lord said that before the cock crowed twice, I would deny Him three times. I thought that the Lord misunderstood me. When He was taken, I even cut off a man’s ear with a sword, thinking that I could love Him courageously. Yet I fell. I did not fall before the high priest or before the powerful Pilate, but before the questioning of a maid. I denied the Lord once, twice, and finally I even swore in my denial of the Lord. At one time I confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

I committed the great sin of denying Him. Although I cried with regret, I do not know how the Lord is going to treat me. It would have been better if He had not known that I denied Him. But when I denied Him, He turned His back and looked at me. He knew what I had done. What should I do? I dare not come close to Him anymore. Although He loves me, I dare not approach Him because there is a sin which separates me from Him. Perhaps from now on, I cannot be close to Him.”

While these thoughts was going through Peter’s head suddenly those several woman came to him with 2 words which shook out his whole existence. These 2 words brought Peter back from a place of darkness! These 2 words gave him the courage and encouraged him to go and see the Lord!

What were these 2 words:

Mark 16:7 “But go tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

Just imagine this, in the darkest hour of Peter’s life, God still reached out to him! In the darkest hour of his life Jesus Christ individually pointed him out!

I want to tell you a secret! If you are in this place where Peter was. If you are stuck in this same situation, do not be downcast!

* He is about to call your name!!!

HE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!!!

Those 2 words had the power to deliver Peter from his darkest hour and cause him to excel and propel into his destiny!

Those 2 words pulled him from the pit of miry clay, those 2 words broke the power of discouragement over his life!

Those 2 words can do exactly the same for you today! Those 2 words were not just meant for Peter, but it was meant for every single one of us, especially those who are currently in a place far from the Lord, thinking they might have fallen too far!

Peter had to come to a place where he was face to face with himself! He had to realize that underneath all those masks of bravery, boldness and arrogance was someone who would cowardly betray the Lord! Only when he saw the darkness of his own heart and his true identity like Jacob could he realize that he needs help!

If the angel remembered Peter’s name, right now He is remembering your name! God is remembering your name and right now He is calling you by your name!

You might be in your darkest hour right now, but I want to tell you that you have a treasure to find there! You have the ability to embrace this time of struggle, prevail and discover His treasure for you!

Even JESUS had to prevail and go through His darkest hour in order to fulfill His Destiny!

In His Love,

Leon du Preez

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=280 0 The Secret Place http://leondupreez.com/?p=270 http://leondupreez.com/?p=270#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:46:49 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=270 The Secret Place

What I am about to write is just a short journal entry of what I have experience and what the Holy Spirit has shared with me over the last few weeks!
Since the day I got saved I have experienced a realm of prayer way above the normal. A realm where God speaks plainly, visions are seen, voices are heard, secrets are shared and where revelation develops into inspiration. A realm which is attainable and open to all, yet does not allow any flesh to enter into it. A realm which is free to enter, yet God will decide whether to allow you in or not.
Sometimes I have performed and “worked” to get into this realm with no results, whereby on the other hand at times I have just surrendered in prayer and was taken into this Place!
I want to share a secret about entering into this place of deliverance, this place of freedom, this place of revelation, this place where the heights and depths of the Spirit is experienced. Please be advised that the material which I have gleaned from and caught has been from Kim Clement, Benny Hinn and my own experiences with the Holy Spirit, founded on scripture.
1.) Entering The Secret Place
I want to discuss 3 realms of prayer which can be experienced by any believer who is baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Realm 1 – The Asking Realm
This is your average normal prayer which every believer experiences. This is where you go on your knees before you get into bed and give thanks and requests to the Lord. This realm I call “The Asking Realm”…
This is the first level of prayer for every believer. 90% of believers dwell in this level and unfortunately stays in this level.
Unfortunately at this level there is no deliverance and freedom. At this level a believer can come full of devils, pray and ask God things, leave and come back the next night with the same devils.
At this level the flesh is still very much alive and dominating.
Realm 2 – The Seeking Realm
This realm has been entered by few. I have experienced that this realm is where intimacy starts. I like to call this realm “The Seeking Realm”…
Only those who would seek His Face would enter into this realm. Those who go beyond mere asking and praying for 5 min a day. This realm I have managed to enter after a few hours, usually 4, of consistent, persistent, passionate prayer!
This is the realm once your flesh dies, and you die to yourself, that you will enter it! There needs to be a sacrifice! This realm requires death! (1 Cor 15:31)
In my experience I have found out that my flesh does not want to enter into this place, because it means death! Death to self! Usually just before you enter, your flesh will scream out the following phrases:
“Go eat something”
“Go relax a bit”
“Go watch some T.V”
“You have some work to do”
“Go check your emails”
Once you die to yourself and tell your flesh to shut-up, then you will break through to a wonderful place of power, deliverance and freedom!
This is the realm where the demons depart from you and bondages on broken. This is the realm where you walk out of your room with your eyes shining full of light and fire!
This is the realm where you can hear the voice of God and the whispers of the Holy Spirit.
This is the place where your protection lies against your enemies! This is the place where a relationship with the Holy Spirit is developed!
This is the place where we as ministers must get to before we step up to any pulpit, or minister to anyone!
Realm 3 – The Knocking Realm
I personally have not entered into this realm much, I believe I have tapped maybe once or twice into it, and once I have tasted I realized that it was too heavy, and I am not yet fully ready for it!
I have heard many great generals speak of this place. It is called “The Secret Place”! Once you enter into this place then healing will follow you, power will be your portion, this is where you can walk into a room and demons can manifest in people because of the Glory of God resting on you!
Benny Hinn made a statement and he said that if you enter Realm 2 for about 7 – 10 days constantly everyday, then about by the 7th or 10th day you might be allowed into the 3rd realm, The Secret Place, The Holy of Holies!
My desire this year is to enter into this place and being allowed to taste the goodness of the Lord!
2.) Hidden Secrets and Treasures
Why is it so important for us to enter into these realms of prayer! I believe that it is cruciual as a believer, because that is where we have intimacy with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
That is where we hear His voice more clearly than in the clutter of our everyday lives!
About 2 weeks ago I was ministering in some meetings up in Johannesburg, and as I was preparing, after a few hours of prayer, God suddenly took me into a deep place. I personally believe that I was in the 2nd Realm and just just tapping into the 3rd Realm! I am not going to mention what I saw or experienced, but…
In this place the Lord started speaking plainly to me. After He shared many secrets about the people I am ministering to, He ended our conversation with these words following:
“Leon, there are hidden riches and treasured in my secret places!” – GOD
I was shocked, shot back into my body and into the natural realm and completely filled with electricity and fire. Immediately a verse came to my mind.
Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.”
When I read this verse, for the first time in many years, I had a revelation of it that there are hidden riches and treasures in HIS secret place! When you find them, your identity will be established that God called you, and that you may KNOW him like Paul mentioned in the book of Philippians (Phil 3:10)
Are you ready to push it in prayer and in your relationship with God!?
He wants to speak to you!
The Holy Spirit wants to have communion with you. (2 Cor 13:14)
In His Love, 
Leon du Preez

The Secret Place

What I am about to write is just a short journal entry of what I have experience and what the Holy Spirit has shared with me over the last few weeks!

Since the day I got saved I have experienced a realm of prayer way above the normal. A realm where God speaks plainly, visions are seen, voices are heard, secrets are shared and where revelation develops into inspiration. A realm which is attainable and open to all, yet does not allow any flesh to enter into it. A realm which is free to enter, yet God will decide whether to allow you in or not.

Sometimes I have performed and “worked” to get into this realm with no results, whereby on the other hand at times I have just surrendered in prayer and was taken into this Place!

I want to share a secret about entering into this place of deliverance, this place of freedom, this place of revelation, this place where the heights and depths of the Spirit is experienced. Please be advised that the material which I have gleaned from and caught has been from Kim Clement, Benny Hinn and my own experiences with the Holy Spirit, founded on scripture.

1.) Entering The Secret Place

Matt 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”

Matt 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly”

I want to discuss 3 realms of prayer which can be experienced by any believer who is baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Realm 1 – The Asking Realm

This is your average normal prayer which every believer experiences. This is where you go on your knees before you get into bed and give thanks and requests to the Lord. This realm I call “The Asking Realm”…

This is the first level of prayer for every believer. 90% of believers dwell in this level and unfortunately stays in this level.

Unfortunately at this level there is no deliverance and freedom. At this level a believer can come full of devils, pray and ask God things, leave and come back the next night with the same devils.

At this level the flesh is still very much alive and dominating.

Realm 2 – The Seeking Realm (Psalm 40)

This realm has been entered by few. I have experienced that this realm is where intimacy starts. I like to call this realm “The Seeking Realm”…

Only those who would seek His Face would enter into this realm. Those who go beyond mere asking and praying for 5 min a day. This realm I have managed to enter after a few hours, usually 4, of consistent, persistent, passionate prayer!

This is the realm once your flesh dies, and you die to yourself, that you will enter it! There needs to be a sacrifice! This realm requires death! (1 Cor 15:31)

In my experience I have found out that my flesh does not want to enter into this place, because it means death! Death to self! Usually just before you enter, your flesh will scream out the following phrases:

“Go eat something”

“Go relax a bit”

“Go watch some T.V”

“You have some work to do”

“Go check your emails”

Once you die to yourself and tell your flesh to shut-up, then you will break through to a wonderful place of power, deliverance and freedom!

This is the realm where the demons depart from you and bondages on broken. This is the realm where you walk out of your room with your eyes shining full of light and fire!

This is the realm where you can hear the voice of God and the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

This is the place where your protection lies against your enemies! This is the place where a relationship with the Holy Spirit is developed!

This is the place where we as ministers must get to before we step up to any pulpit, or minister to anyone!

Realm 3 – The Knocking Realm (Psalm 90)

I personally have not entered into this realm much, I believe I have tapped maybe once or twice into it, and once I have tasted I realized that it was too heavy, and I am not yet fully ready for it!

I have heard many great generals speak of this place. It is called “The Secret Place”! Once you enter into this place then healing will follow you, power will be your portion, this is where you can walk into a room and demons can manifest in people because of the Glory of God resting on you!

Benny Hinn made a statement and he said that if you enter Realm 2 for about 7 – 10 days constantly everyday, then about by the 7th or 10th day you might be allowed into the 3rd realm, The Secret Place, The Holy of Holies!

My desire this year is to enter into this place and being allowed to taste the goodness of the Lord!

2.) Hidden Secrets and Treasures

Why is it so important for us to enter into these realms of prayer! I believe that it is cruciual as a believer, because that is where we have intimacy with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!

That is where we hear His voice more clearly than in the clutter of our everyday lives!

About 2 weeks ago I was ministering in some meetings up in Johannesburg, and as I was preparing, after a few hours of prayer, God suddenly took me into a deep place. I personally believe that I was in the 2nd Realm and just just tapping into the 3rd Realm! I am not going to mention what I saw or experienced, but…

In this place the Lord started speaking plainly to me. After He shared many secrets about the people I am ministering to, He ended our conversation with these words following:

“Leon, there are hidden riches and treasured in my secret places!” – GOD

I was shocked, shot back into my body and into the natural realm and completely filled with electricity and fire. Immediately a verse came to my mind.

Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.”

When I read this verse, for the first time in many years, I had a revelation of it that there are hidden riches and treasures in HIS secret place! When you find them, your identity will be established that God called you, and that you may KNOW him like Paul mentioned in the book of Philippians (Phil 3:10)

Are you ready to push it in prayer and in your relationship with God!?

He wants to speak to you!

The Holy Spirit wants to have communion with you. (2 Cor 13:14)

In His Love,

Leon du Preez

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=270 0 Feedback of Hatfield and Westbury Trip http://leondupreez.com/?p=227 http://leondupreez.com/?p=227#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:55:13 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=227 About 2 weeks ago I went to Johannesburg to go minister at Hatfield Christian Church and also at Westbury, a gang-type area. The Saturday night I was scheduled to go to Westbury to minister there, not knowing what was going to happen. I saw God rocked up on the scene, in a neighborhood of poverty and broken people. The evening transpired as normal, until I made an altar call at around 9PM. At this point, as I was about to close the service, I started hearing people crying out to God. I started hearing weeping, and waling, all of a sudden, God rushed into the place and started delivering and setting people free. Devils started fleeing, and around 11h30PM the atmosphere was so saturated with the presence and the power of God that you could literally taste it!

On that high note, I left Johannesburg around 12h30 the evening not wanting to go to sleep because of the burning fire of God!

The next night I was scheduled to speak at Hatfield Christian Church North. Although, not exactly the same happened, God still did something great. Of about 800 – 1000 people, I saw more than 100 come to the altar for salvations! Here below are some pictures of what happened at Hatfield!

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=227 0 Feedback of Danville Girls High Meeting http://leondupreez.com/?p=170 http://leondupreez.com/?p=170#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:07:27 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=170 Wow! We got invited to an S.C.A at Danville Park Girls High today. Well, I thought it was going to be an usual S.C.A meeting until I got there, and realized that this was something different. There were approx 140 girls in the meeting of a school of about 600 in total. Which tells me that it is almost 15% of the school. Wow!

We started off with a hip-hop song of CJAY and then went into worship. As soon as the worship song was finished the manifest presence of God was already saturating the atmosphere. I started going into the message, with an open heaven over us. When we got to the altar call we had approx 30 – 40 salvations and many girls touched by the power of God.

Uncle Marc Bredenkamp, Senior Pastor of Destiny Harvest Centre prophesied 2 years ago that revival will come to Danville and I believe it is upon us! I was extremely refreshed to see a bunch of young people worshipping and praising God so passionately and full of fire! It truly encouraged me!

Please keep praying for Danville Park Girls High so that God’s word and promise over their lives may come to fulfillment.

Blessings and much love,

Leon du Preez

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=170 1 Going Beyond Only Discovering The Kingdom To Possessing The Kingdom http://leondupreez.com/?p=136 http://leondupreez.com/?p=136#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:02:58 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=136

Many of us have discovered the Kingdom. We have seen healings, miracles, signs and wonders. We have seen the demonic manifest and being cast out and we have seen 100’s upon thousands of souls saved, but there is one thing we are missing- Very few of us are operating in this realm on a daily basis.

There is a big difference between discovering the Kingdom and possessing the Kingdom. Many of us have discovered the Kingdom, but we are not possessing it. How do I come to the place of possessing it?

Matt 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for the joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Please take note of the red highlighted key words.

The Kingdom is hidden and many of us have found it! But we are not yet possessing it. The man in this parable had joy over it. When last did we have joy over the Kingdom and the things of God and the spirit?

I like to ask the following question to Christians: Do you have more joy over your friend getting saved or getting a brand new car for free?

When we have joy for the things of God and getting back our first love then we will come to the place of applying the next step. The verse carried on and said “…he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” … Unless we give everything we have for Him, we cannot possess the Kingdom. Unless we surrender everything, we cannot possess the Kingdom. Please take note that we cannot surrender our whole lives to Him unless we have, and  get back our joy for the Kingdom and the things of God; unless we return to our first love!

I believe that God wants to take us further than mere discovering the Kingdom, He wants to take us to a place of possessing the Kingdom! I believe that is the next phase for us as the body of Christ! I can see that the door has opened in the spirit, in order for us to step through it!

Join me as we press in, pushing forward to possess and obtain that which God has for every single one of us!

Blessings and Much Love,

Leon du Preez

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=136 0 How Do I Know I Am Saved? http://leondupreez.com/?p=99 http://leondupreez.com/?p=99#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:48:23 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=99 I know that many will rise up against this post. But I can assure you, that I have taken it and studied from the top scholars on the planet. The question is, “How am I certain that I am saved?”

Are there any requirements for salvation? If so, what are the requirements in order for my name to be written in the Lambs book of live?

I have gotten all the following points from one of the top bible teachers on this planet in my opinion, Rick Renner. You can find these resources on his website.

Here follows the signs which confirms my salvation, we can actually all use it as a test on ourselves, so that we can work out our own salvation with fear and trembling:

Sign #1

When a person is really saved, he will have the fruit of salvation

Sign #2

When a person is really saved, he has a desire to stop sinning

Sign #3

When a person is really saved, they are a new creature

Sign #4

When a person is really saved, they have love for the brethren, for the family of God

Sign #5

When a person is really saved then the Holy Spirit Bears witness with his spirit

Sign #6

When a person is really saved, then he has a willingness to obey Jesus’ commandments

Sign #7

When a person is really saved, then they have an immediate desire to change and do the will of God

Sign #8

When a person is really saved, he experiences the discipline of the Lord

Please take note that I have not use any scripture references for a certain reason, but will add them into my next post which will include the full text of this sermon .

Blessings,

Leon du Preez

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=99 0 Organizing a Silence and Solitude Day (Part 4 of 5) http://leondupreez.com/?p=77 http://leondupreez.com/?p=77#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:36:54 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=77

This the fourth post in a series by Pastor Mark where he helpfully lays out the importance of silence and solitude, as well as how he approaches and utilizes the time.

Silence and Solitude Stealers

Despite the Bible’s exhortation and Jesus’ example to enjoy times of silence and solitude, few Christians regularly enjoy these gifts from God. This is because there are some real enemies at work that need to be combated for silence and solitude to be enjoyed. The following are some of the more common silence and solitude stealers that have to be dealt with as an act of repentance:

  1. Those people – pushy, needy, demanding, high-drama, inconsiderate people steal your life, joy, health, and time—often in the name of ministry, when it’s really people-pleasing idolatry that allows them to get away with it.
  2. Technology – you cannot be a maturing Christian following the example of Jesus Christ if you are always surfing the Internet, dinking around on your cell phone, reading emails, texting, tweeting, rocking out, and watching TV. You have to turn them off to tune in to God. Yes, I have all of the latest technology, and I turn it off so my soul can recharge. Do you really think Jesus would have been checking his buddy’s friend request in the Garden of Gethsemane if he had an iPhone?
  3. Lack of planning – in Leading On Empty, Wayne Cordeiro shows that in Genesis 1 when the Bible describes days, it says there was first evening then morning. So, biblically, the day begins at night with rest, Sabbath, and silence. That then prepares us for work and conversation. This is like Jesus, who spent time alone before beginning his public ministry.
  4. Trading busyness for fruitfulness – some people say they are too busy to worship, pray, Sabbath, journal, and so forth, but they have tragically traded being busy for being godly, obedient, and wise fruitful stewards. Is your busyness truly fruitful or would some plans to organize your world, home, diet, budget, schedule, and life be helpful?
  5. Lack of appreciation – the Bible has a great deal to say about the benefits of purposeful silence, including:

My prayer is that those reading this who are guilty of people and noise addiction would experience the regular gifts of silence and solitude because that is often where God is waiting for us. There was silence before God spoke the world into existence, and silence for forty days before Jesus began his public ministry. May you too enjoy silence and solitude before you attempt to live your life with, for, like, and to God.

By Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=77 0 Organizing a Silence and Solitude Day (Part 3 of 5) http://leondupreez.com/?p=74 http://leondupreez.com/?p=74#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:54:33 +0000 admin http://leondupreez.com/?p=74

Understanding Silence and Solitude

Silence and solitude is fasting from people and noise for a prescribed time to connect with God and replenish the soul. The opposite of solitude is isolation, where someone is burned out and goes into survival mode by disappearing. Solitude is godly, isolation is deadly, and if we don’t enjoy the former we’ll wind up pursuing the latter.

Despite the constant pressures upon his time from family, friends, and fans, Jesus’ own life was marked by ongoing times of solitude. The following verses speak of how Jesus often practiced the spiritual discipline of solitude:

• “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” (Matt. 14:23)
• “And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:31)
• “And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place.” (Luke 4:42)
• “But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” (Luke 5:16)

Furthermore, as we study Scripture we see that Jesus used solitude for a multitude of purposes. Following his baptism, Jesus spent forty days in solitude preparing for his public ministry (Matt. 4:1–11). After his cousin, John the Baptizer, was beheaded, Jesus spent time alone to mourn (Matt. 14:12–13). Jesus also used times of solitude as occasions for intense and focused prayer (Matt. 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16). Jesus specifically used solitude as an opportunity to pray and seek the Father’s will before choosing the twelve disciples (Luke 6:12). In addition, Jesus used solitude to rest after a hard day of work (Mark 6:31). Finally, knowing he was soon to be crucified, Jesus spent time alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, coming to grips with the painful obedience that was required of him (Mark 26:36–46).

Other biblical figures also used solitude for a litany of purposes. Moses spent time alone on the mountain with God in order to receive a word from God, namely the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19–20). Isaiah was both saved and sustained by God through his times of solitude with the Lord (Isa. 30:15). In Psalm 62:1–2, 5 David says that in solitude God calmed his fears and encouraged his soul. Paul as well spent some three years in varying degrees of solitude being prepared by the Lord for ministry, according to Galatians 1:17–19.

Clearly, time alone with God serves innumerable good purposes in our lives. Therefore, to help you consider how to enjoy purposeful times of solitude, I would encourage the following. One, you may need to simply schedule a day of solitude to ensure that this is a regular part of your spiritual life. I do this at least one day a month and find it to be the most important and refreshing part of my life; it enables me to function in the other areas of my life because it helps me remain continually connected to Jesus. Two, find a place where you like to go. This may mean that you spend a day in God’s creation hiking or simply resting. Three, if you are a parent, this may mean that you have to get up early or stay up late to get some time to yourself at home.

There are many things you can do during your periods of solitude, including:

1. Nothing
2. Meditate on a short section of Scripture
3. Rest
4. Read long sections of Scripture
5. Pray, including a prayer-walk/hike/bike
6. Read a good book
7. Journal

By Mark Driscoll

]]> http://leondupreez.com/?feed=rss2&p=74 0